The Marauders' Map
by LadyAnalyn
Summary: A collection of short stories featuring our favourite Marauders, with the main pairing being Sirius/Remus. In the same universe as my story "Mischief Managed", so this collection will provide background information for that but not necessary to read that as well. Theses stories will contain romance and basic silliness.
1. Perception

**Howdy folks. I've been working on a few short stories featuring our favourite Marauders for some time now and I thought, instead of posting them individually, I'd just put them in a collection. Mostly the stories will be told in first person, either by the boys themselves or somebody close to them. Occasionally we may go into third person, it all depends on the muses. So, here's the first one. It's short and told by James; it's about how he notices something between Sirius and Remus, way back in first year.**

**By the way, these stories are in the same universe as my story "Mischief Managed."**

**Warning: Contains James Potter silliness and the main pairing throughout the collection will be Sirius/Remus.**

* * *

"Perception"

I, the great James Potter am a lot more perceptive than folks give me credit for—especially in school. In first year, for example: I noticed things people were doing that they thought no one was paying any attention to. I saw girls fix their wedgies when they thought no one was looking. I stopped looking for this though because I saw Professor Sprout do it once and that had been mentally scarring.

I also noticed that my best friend, Sirius fancied someone and likely didn't realise it. I had seen Sirius more than once staring at one person in particular, none other than Remus.

Sirius and I were serving detention with Professor Slughorn for setting off a dungbomb in Potions and blaming it on the Slytherins. He had us cleaning cauldrons…the muggle way. When Slughorn was distracted by reading a book, I slipped Sirius a note—since we were forbidden from talking.

_I've seen you staring at someone like every single girl in our year—except Evans—stares at you._

Sirius wrote back _**What are talking about?**_

_You fancy someone._

_**I don't know what you mean.**_

_You fancy Remus which is weird because he's a boy, at least I think he is. We'll have to check that, he does kind of look like a girl with that hair._

Sirius's eyes widened as he read the note and then his eyebrows furrowed. _**Where did you get that idea? I don't fancy anyone least of all Remus.**_

Slughorn stood up "Boys, you're not passing notes are you?"

I stuffed the note in my pocket "What notes?"

…

Once we were released from the dungeons and on our way back to Gryffindor tower, Sirius said "You haven't answered my question. What makes you think I fancy Remus?"

"You goo-goo eye him and you tease him."

"I do not goo-goo eye him and a lot of people tease him."

"No, those people torment him. You don't make him tear up. When you tease him, he smiles and agrees with you."

"Well he's a bit of a pushover, don't you think? He doesn't stand up for himself."

"That's because you do it for him."

"So do you; that's what friends are for."

"Yeah but…"

"James, I've never heard of boys fancying other boys. Have you?"

I thought about it "No" I conceded.

"Well then, now drop it."

And I did. For the moment. I needed to look into this boys liking other boys thing. I also needed to make sure Remus was in fact a boy. Accidently walking in on him in the shower should work. Nope, I have no qualms, none at all—well, maybe that's not entirely accurate; I'd never want to walk in on Snivellus after all. I would be blinded, I'm sure.

…

Goody-goody Remus actually swore "James, what the hell?!" It was intriguing because he felt as twelve year olds, we shouldn't use such language.

"Sorry, didn't hear the water. Jeesh, Remus calm down, nothing I haven't seen before." I didn't hear the water? Yeah, I was fully aware he wasn't likely to believe that but what else was I going to say?

Okay, Remus was most definitely a boy and made me feel slightly inadequate, I hate to admit. Maybe it was a werewolf thing. I left the bathroom to find Sirius arching an eyebrow at me "All you had to do was ask, I've walked in on him before. Feel small don't you?" he tossed a book at me, it was on werewolves "they mature faster. You'd know that if you had actually done the reading."

_Walked in on him before, huh? Very interesting._

I read the book but it had nothing on werewolf mating habits so I had no way to know if Remus could fancy Sirius. Hold on, if they mature faster then why does Remus have a girly face? It's true though; he had soft features and with his longish hair, you wouldn't know unless you know, you know?

…

During the summer Sirius and I spent a lot of time together and whenever we were out in public I made sure to notice if Sirius looked at any other boys. But no such luck, if he did, I didn't see. However, what I did see was a pair of grown men holding hands when Mum and I were in Diagon Alley doing the school shopping.

I stepped away from her and approached them. They were sitting down at the ice cream parlour. "Hello there. May I ask why you're holding hands? See because last year I saw my friend staring at my other friend like he fancies him but I've never heard of boys fancying boys so does that happen? 'Cos Sirius denied it but I think he fancies Remus and I want to know if it's possible." I also have no fear. Mother's had to tell me more than once not to talk to strangers. I chose not to listen most of the time. I'm a pretty good judge of character, you see and can tell if someone I want to talk to is worth talking to.

The men blinked and one looked at the other and said "Did you catch any of that?"

"Yes," the other nodded, "I speak fluent hyper-twelve year old boy. Yes, lad it's very possible. It happens all the time."

This was fantastic. I love being right. "Does it have a name?"

"Yes. When a boy fancies another boy or a girl fancies another girl, it's called homosexuality."

My eyes were wide "Girls can fancy girls? THAT explains those two Hufflepuffs." And those two Hufflepuff birds were gorgeous, I had the sudden desire to see them snogging.

"That's right, they're called lesbians."

"They have a special name? Neat."

The two guys smiled and looked at me in that 'you're so adorable' way most people look at me. I've since learned it means they're patronising me. Anyway, the one who spoke fluent hyper-twelve year old boy said "Yes and homosexual males are called gay, we much prefer it."

Being from an old-money family, I knew gay to mean happy and/or bright and showy "Because you're happy?"

They were looking at me with that look again and the one who didn't speak fluent hyper-twelve year old boy said, "Yes, yes we are very happy."

"Well jolly good then, that's fantastic. Do you think Sirius is gay?"

"How old is he?"

"Twelve, same as me."

"Well, if he is gay, he might not know it yet. Some gay people don't realise or admit it till they're much older."

"Uncle Phil, you wouldn't believe the state of that restroom." To my surprise, none other than Remus himself was coming towards the table and he froze when he saw me.

"Remus" said the hyper-twelve year old speaking one, who must be Uncle Phil 'cos now I was looking at him, there was a resemblance between him and Remus—same girly nose "we were beginning to think you'd drowned. What took you?"

"Sorry, Uncle Phil I was cleaning. Uh, James…uh…"

"Remus!" I smiled and hugged him. He didn't hug me back, in fact he went rather rigid. I think he was in shock "Good to see you, old bean, been ages."

"It's been less than two months," he straightened out his shirt and regained some of his composure. "I see you've met my great-uncle Phil and his…his…Doug."

Uncle Phil chuckled "It's okay Remus, I think your friend is very open minded. James, Doug is my boyfriend."

"Well I guessed that," I said "why else would you be holding hands? Me and Remus wouldn't hold hands, just sitting. I mean, sure if we were trying to get away from the giant squid, that's another thing entirely."

Remus's face was Gryffindor red and he was breathing quite heavily but he still managed to correct my grammar "Remus and I, James."

"Yes, Reams, that's what I said."

"Don't call me that."

"Remus, why didn't you ever tell us about your uncle and his boyfriend?"

"Yes, Remus" said Uncle Phil "why didn't you?"

Remus sighed "I'm sorry, I didn't think it was necessary information and there was never an opening in a conversation. In what context do you say, 'oh by the way, my uncle's gay'?"

"Randomly" I said "that's how I mention stuff. You could have done, poor Sirius hasn't even heard of boys fancying other boys."

"He hasn't? How do you know?"

"Came up. Those two Hufflepuff birds, Tara and Mallory, they're lesbians." Well I wasn't about to tell him that Sirius fancied him when Sirius didn't even know it himself, now was I?

"Yes, James, I know. James, does your mother have her hair up in a bun and is she carrying a large carpet bag?"

"Yes why?"

"She's calling you."

I turned around immediately "Be right there, Mother!" I turned back to Remus "See you on the train then and fantastic meeting you, Uncle Phil and Doug."

…

Speaking of the train, Remus told Sirius and Peter about his uncle since I already knew.

Sirius stared him "Men can fancy other men?"

"Yes" Remus nodded "not everyone thinks so though. My granddad apparently didn't approve of Uncle Phil's lifestyle. Same goes for some others in my family."

Remus dropped the subject after that.

Well, time went on and the stories from that time are for another time. We talked about Uncle Phil and Doug now and then but the gay thing didn't come up again for a while. I knew that Sirius would only deny it if I accused him of fancying Remus. So I watched and waited.

Oh it was obvious Sirius fancied him and after a year or two, I noticed that Remus fancied him back. See, not only did I know Sirius better than he knew himself but I knew Remus too and I knew that Remus would also deny it. And I'll tell you why: he had said some of his family didn't approve of Uncle Phil's lifestyle and that told me that he wouldn't like it if Remus swung that way. I mean, in Remus's way of thinking, he was already a werewolf and he wouldn't want anything else to be "wrong" with him. Now that's not to say Remus thought being gay was wrong but his relatives apparently did and Remus is a pushover; he just has to please everyone—that's why he lets us get away with pranks when they're against his better judgement.

Okay, to be fair, a lot of that was stuff I realised later—I'm not purporting to be some super genius or anything.

* * *

**Okay, so that's where we're going to leave this chapter. I know it might seem a little cut off but James was gonna keep rambling if I didn't shut him up.**

**Not sure when the next story will be up, I've got other stuff to concentrate on as well.**

**TTFN**


	2. Scratched

**I never said these stories would be in order. The last one took place in 1****st**** year, this is in 3****rd**** year and it's a two-parter. In fact, they might be a few stories that take place in 3****rd**** year. We'll see what happens.**

**This first part is told by Sirius and it's got some angst in it. If any of you read "Black and Lupin: School Days" before I took it down some bits might seem familiar to you; that's because they are but tweaked a little.**

**Oh and just so you know, I have also tweaked with James' parentage and the age of Sirius' father but we'll get into that in other stories in this collection.**

* * *

"Scratched"

It was third year and we were now calling ourselves the Marauders, but apparently only James and I enjoyed the summer. We spent the whole time at James's driving his parents (who were really his grandparents—long story) mad to no end. Peter had to spend the summer with family reunions and putrid smelling great-aunts constantly pinching his cheeks, saying that he'd soon grow out of his "baby fat". Personally I doubted it, he was going to be "chubby" for the rest of his life. As for Remus, he had yet to tell us what he'd been up to.

We were in our usual compartment on the train and the three of us were talking but Remus wasn't paying much attention.

"Remus, mate," I was sitting across from him and I kicked at his foot lightly, "you in there?"

Remus blinked, "Huh? What?"

James rolled his eyes, "We've been calling your name for the past five minutes."

"Are you okay?" asked Peter.

"Sorry, yes I'm fine," Remus said "guess I was just lost in thought. What were we talking about?"

James, Peter and I all shared a look, we knew damn well that Remus wasn't fine but knew better than to push him about it right now. He was the type of person where the more you pushed the less he'd move. He really should be a Taurus instead of a Pisces.

"Anyway," I said, "we were wondering who the new DADA teacher would be."

"Not much can top that creepy dwarf," James muttered—that dwarf had unnerved everyone AND he was a thief.

"Actually, I think they prefer to be called little people," Remus said.

"No, Remus, he was an actual dwarf, Flitwick's cousin or something."

"Oh, yes, that's right."

James sighed, "So Moonman, how was your summer?"

I slapped my forehead with a groan, "You didn't just call him that did you?"

Remus rubbed his temples, "Don't call me that, James, it makes me sound like an extra-terrestrial."

"A what?"

"Never mind."

"So, how was your summer Remus?" I prompted.

"Uneventful. Nearly died of boredom is all."

James and Peter accepted this as the only answer we were likely to get out of Remus but I did not. I'd find out what Remus was hiding, I was the only one who could. There was a connection between the two of us that wasn't between me and James. Back in first year James had accused me of fancying Remus and considering I had no interest in girls whatsoever I was beginning to think he was right. Though I did like to look at other boys. James usually was right about these things—don't tell him I said that, his head doesn't need to be any bigger.

…

After the Sorting that night and before our food appeared Dumbledore introduced our new teacher.

"And as you may have noticed we have a new staff member," he waved his hand towards a young man who couldn't be more than thirty at the staff table, "Professor Daemon Collins has kindly agreed to join us all the way from America as your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Now, tuck in!" he waved his hand again and our food appeared.

"That Professor Collins," one of the girls at the table giggled "quite dishy isn't he?" In fact the eyes of all female students were on Collins. The boys were curious too, but because they'd never had a teacher so young not because they thought he was "dishy" except for this boy, that is, I had to agree with the girls. Daemon Collins was quite dashing and wealthy too if he was of the same Collins family my parents went on about.

My eyes fell on Remus who was tucking away into his dinner rather eagerly like he hadn't eaten in a while. He usually ate like that near the full moon but it wasn't that time of the month so I wondered what the problem was. Remus, who was probably the sweetest (looks and personality) boy in school was pale tonight and his hands were shaking.

…

When the other two were finally asleep, I went over to Remus's bed and shook him lightly, "Remus, you awake?"

"No" came the muffled reply.

"It sounds like you are."

Remus sighed and turned over to face me "What is it, Sirius? I'd like to get some sleep."

"What for? Tomorrow's Sunday, classes don't start till Monday."

"Beside the point. Sirius, it's two o'clock in the morning."

"I know but I want to talk to you. It's important."

Remus sat up and patted the space next to him "All right, what is it?"

I sat "Are you okay?"

The only light we had was the half-moon light shining through the window, it caught Remus's eyes and they glowed, "Of course I am."

"No you're not. I saw you at dinner, your hands were shaking so much it was a miracle you didn't spill pumpkin juice all over your robes."

Remus looked down, "Saw that, huh?"

"Hard not too, I was sitting across from you."

"I thought you were too caught up in staring at Professor Collins."

"I was not!"

"Were to."

"Well it's not what you think," I said quickly.

"How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Why do you have to be so infuriatingly calm all the time?" it was true, Remus rarely rose his voice and it aggravated me to no end.

In the dim light, Remus smiled slightly "Why is it that you have a better vocabulary than me but only use it when you're agitated?"

I growled "Remus, dammit, stop deflecting the conversation away from yourself. You always do that and I hate it." It was true and it drove me mad.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I pushed Remus back and straddled him, "Will you stop that?"

Remus glared up at me "I don't see you talking about your personal problems much either."

"I do more than you. When you actually ask me what's wrong I tell you, don't I? Now, what's bothering you? Did something happen over the summer?"

Underneath me Remus was tense and I knew this position was dangerous as Remus was much stronger than me. Remus took a quivering breath "It's not something you talk about. Will you please get off me Sirius?"

He sounded so small and pleading, I quickly slid off him "I'm sorry. Why isn't it something you talk about?"

"Sirius, please just let me sleep. I'm tired," and it was only because Remus sounded on the verge of tears did I comply and return to my own bed.

"Goodnight Remus."

…

_It's not something you talk about._ What the hell was that supposed to mean? I pondered this over the next couple days, all the while keeping an eye on Remus. His colour had returned but he was jumpy, he avoided shadows and kept his head down around male professors. That was weird. He also seemed to become very uncomfortable with being touched—not that he ever was but it was more so now. And he wasn't answering questions in class.

"Did you get anything out of him?" James whispered as we made our way to our first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Collins. We were trailing a little behind Remus and Peter.

I shook my head and then caught up with Remus "If he's from the same Collins Family my parents talk about then he's wealthy. The Collinses are our distant American cousins and they're as rich as we are."

Remus stared at me "What?"

"That's why I was staring at him during the feast. I was trying to see a resemblance."

"Oh."

As we entered the DADA classroom, we saw that our new teacher, Professor Collins was sitting on his desk smiling at everyone. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows; teachers just didn't sit on desks (unless it was McGoogles, doing her cat impression).

Professor Collins, upon closer inspection, was indeed incredibly good looking. First of all, he was tan as if he'd spent a lot of time in the sun and it was easy to tell that underneath his blue robes he was well muscled. His hair was light brown, wavy and full and his eyes were a dazzling sky blue. I can't tell you the eye colour of any other professor except Dumbledore whose eyes would be noticeable to a blind person. Well they would.

As soon as everyone was seated, Professor Collins jumped off his desk lightly and said "Good afternoon, please don't bother with your books for now, we're not going learn anything Defence-ish quite yet. We are going to get to know each other."

Everyone stared at him, Professor Collins was definitely American but it was impossible to tell where in America he was from. For the first time I was completely riveted to a teacher.

The professor continued "Now, granted I'm sure you all know who each other are already but I don't and you certainly don't know me." He picked up a piece of paper from his desk and began to walk around the room "I'm going to tell you a bit about myself and but first as I call roll, you will answer with your birthday, where you're from and your favourite junk food. If you should have any questions at any time, feel free to raise your hand. I believe in active interaction." Evans raised her hand. The professor looked at her "Yes miss?"

Evans said "May I ask why you wish to know what our favourite junk food is?"

He smiled at her and looked around the room "Can anyone guess why I'd want to know that?"

Surprising myself, my hand shot up first.

The professor looked at me "Yes?"

I lowered my hand, swallowed and said "Is it because you want to give us treats on our birthdays?"

Professor Collins smiled, took something out of his pocket and tossed it at me and I caught it "For that you get a Hershey's Kiss."

I looked at the thing in my hand; the wrapper was silver foil and it smelled like chocolate.

The teacher must have seen the look on my face "It is American muggle candy, it's just a little piece of chocolate." He glanced around the room again "Each class I will have something different for correct answers. Now, to call roll" He called roll and smiled at some of our answers and asked for elaboration on others. I liked anything cinnamon flavoured. He asked Remus what kind of chocolate he preferred and he chuckled when Remus replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe, while never once making eye contact with the teacher, I noted "Chocolate is chocolate, sir."

After roll, he said "Now back to my introduction of myself; you may have guessed by now that I am not British. I do not want to be called Professor and will only make allowances in front of other teachers, so please call me Daemon. I was born in a spooky seaside town called Collinsport in Maine. Can anyone tell me where that is?" Definitely the same family then.

I raised my hand at the same time as Evans—which had never happened before.

Daemon looked back and forth between us "I saw the lady first. Yes, Lily?"

"New England, isn't it sir?"

He tossed her a chocolate "That's right. Anything to add Sirius? I do believe our families are somehow or other related though don't ask me to explain how."

I tried to remember what my parents had said "Er, I think Cassiopeia Black, aunt or something to Phineas Black—you can talk to his portrait in the Headmaster's office—married into your family before they moved to America."

Daemon was quiet for a moment and then nodded "That sounds right. Anyway, some more about me, though I was born in Maine, I've spent most of my life in California, this is why I do not have a snobby New England accent."

Daemon told us that he had taught DADA at the California Academy of Magic for two years before a disagreement with his boss made him decide to leave. He also told us that his birthday was January twentieth and he was quite fond of fudge, if we wanted to know. He also had no problem telling us just how old he was, or how young rather: twenty-six. I suspected he was the youngest teacher to have ever taught at Hogwarts.

"Well, I think that's enough about me for now," he glanced at the clock. "We'll start with bogeymen-boggarts-to you, next class and we'll work our way up from there. No homework for tonight though I suggest you read the section on the things. I'll let you out a little early today," he sat back on his desk "you may go."

…

Normally I was the first one out of class after being dismissed but I lingered today. I saw Remus looking at me with an arched eyebrow.

"Remus," Collins called to him after everyone but the Marauders had left the room "I was wondering if I could have a word?"

James and Peter who were waiting near the door stared in surprise, I was half out of my chair and I raised my eyebrows. Remus just blinked and said "Did I do something wrong sir?"

Daemon chuckled "No of course not. It's just, well, can your dorm mates be trusted?"

Suddenly I knew what Daemon wanted to talk about; he had been told that Remus was a werewolf. I stood up straight "Whatever you have to say to Remus you can say in front of us. James, Peter, close the door."

Daemon smiled "Well, I figured the three of you might know. Right?" he asked Remus.

Remus nodded "You were informed then?"

"Well of course, I have to know why you'd be missing class. Besides the head of my family, Quentin is a werewolf."

"Really?" I asked, coming close, "I didn't know that."

"Few people outside of America do. Werewolves in America are treated much better than this soggy little island. Anyway, I've looked ahead, Remus, and made sure I won't be teaching werewolves during the full moon. That'd be a little dangerous anyway, teaching werewolves during the full moon."

James and I laughed at the joke and after a moment Peter joined in.

Remus however wasn't amused. We stopped laughing when we saw that Remus wasn't.

Collins continued, "Also one of my best friends is a werewolf."

"Smells like more than just your best friend," Remus said surprising us all.

A blush crept up Collins' neck—how interesting "Ah, yeah, we're sharing a flat in Hogsmeade." Sharing a flat, huh? I'd have to look into that—it'd be so great to have someone to talk to about all these sexuality questions I was having.

"You mean you're not living here at the school?" James asked.

"Why would I want to do that? I have a life other than teaching."

"Well," Remus said "make sure your _friend_ knows this is MY territory," and there was a growl at the back of his throat. We all stared at him but he didn't seem to care. But by his tone, Remus was suspecting about Daemon the same thing I was.

I put a hand on his shoulder "You okay, Remus?"

Remus shrugged out of my touch.

"It's okay," Collins said "Ryan already knows that, Remus. In fact if you want to meet him, I can arrange it."

"I'll consider it. Will that be all, Professor?"

He nodded "Sure, you boys can go and Remus, please call me Daemon."

…

A few days later…

Our first actual lesson for DADA was going to be a practical one. Daemon led us into the staffroom and started out by saying that there was a boggart in the wardrobe—though apparently Americans called them bogeymen.

A few of the students stepped back as the wardrobe shook.

"Don't worry, kids it can't really hurt you. Anyway, can anyone tell me what a bogeyman or boggart if you'd rather is exactly?" Evans raised her hand first. After she correctly answered, Daemon said "We have an advantage over the monster. What about you James, have you spotted it?"

James was clearly surprised at being called on and he cleared his throat "Er…there are so many of us the boggart won't know what to turn in to."

"Exactly, it'll get so confused after a while, it'll try turning into two things at once. Sometimes, the result isn't frightening at all, though other times it can be quite disturbing. I once saw one who tried to turn into a vampire and a werewolf at once, now that was a scary combination. I never want to meet a real werevamp after dark and there is evidence that they do exist. Anyway, before we begin I want you all to tell me what you're most scared of so that we aren't surprised when we face the thingy."

Evans was afraid of clowns. This was good to know for possible pranks.

Peter was afraid of flesh eating slugs and James was had a fear of headless corpses. The boggart saw them at the same time and it turned into half a slug. It was quite disgusting. They didn't even have to say ridikkulus to it.

I had tried to claim that I wasn't afraid of anything but as it turned out the boggart, upon seeing me became… Professor Dumbledore? What the hell?

"I'm sorry, Mr Black," said Boggart Dumbledore, "but it seems the Sorting Hat made a grievous error. You are meant to be in Slytherin after all."

My mouth fell open "What? No, that's not true! I'm in Gryffindor, Gryffindor!" I took a calming breath, aimed my wand and shouted, "Ridikkulus, you troll's ass-wipe!"

CRACK! The boggart-Dumbledore was suddenly wearing a tutu and dancing to Swan Lake, which was slightly more frightening in some ways but not as threatening.

Daemon sighed, "You next Remus, you're the last one."

Then Remus did something that surprised the rest of the class "If it's all the same sir, I'd really rather not," he was pale and the hand holding his wand was shaking violently.

"Okay" Daemon said gently, "I never said it was a requirement to face it. I'll finish it off" he stood in front of the boggart and it turned into a pile of really large cockroaches.

He turned it into a roach dancing the mamba. This got quite a laugh. He forced the creature back into the wardrobe and shut the doors.

"Okay, kids" he said, "five points to everyone who faced the thing and ten points from Gryffindor for Sirius swearing and putting that mentally scarring image of the Headmaster into my head."

…

"Why didn't you want to face the boggart, Remus?" Peter asked when we were out in the hallway.

As usual Remus deflected the conversation away from himself "I'm more interested in why Sirius thinks he'd be transferred to Slytherin."

"I don't think that!" I shouted indignantly, then I lowered my voice "but I'll admit only here that it's a nightmare I get every time I get a Howler from Mother."

"Do you also have dreams of Dumbledore dancing ballet?" he said this with such a straight face even I had to laugh.

James slapped me on the back, "I worry for you, mate, I really do."

…

Remus wasn't answering questions in class unless specifically asked. He hardly ate, never laughed or smiled. He rarely joined in the Marauders' conversations and he tensed every time he was touched. We were very worried but we knew that the more we pushed the more Remus would resist. We knew that but only James and Peter respected it.

I continually asked him if he was okay but Remus always replied that he was fine, even though it was obvious he wasn't.

Finally James whacked me on the back of the head "Give him some space, you twat. It's getting close to the full moon, you keep bugging him and he'll bite your head off."

It was true, Remus was getting more and more agitated the closer it got to his transformation. Every time someone came into his personal space a rumble emitted from his throat and his fists clenched.

"What do you think is wrong with him then?" I asked "Something happened to him over the summer, I'm sure of it but…"

"Well," James said wiping his glasses thoughtfully "I'm no psychoanalyst," where in Merlin's name did he learn that word? "but by the signs he's showing I'm thinking someone hurt him."

I nodded "That's what I think too."

"And that someone is of the male persuasion and he is now terrified of men which explains why he doesn't make eye contact with the male professors."

"That makes sense. Do you think his dad beat him?"

James shrugged "Who knows? I still say you're the best bet at getting him to open up. The way I see it is like this; you and me are like brothers, Peter is friend to all three of us, but Remus is your best friend and he's my friend because he's the best friend of my brother. Does that make sense?"

But I wasn't really paying attention "Do you think we should talk to a teacher? Maybe McGonagall or Daemon. I'm afraid he'll hurt himself this moon if he keeps everything bottled up."

James sighed and rolled his eyes "Talk to Daemon, he probably knows more about werewolves than anyone."

…

I wasn't able to talk to Daemon till the day before the full moon. When I asked to talk, Daemon invited me into his office and offered me something called Coca-Cola. It was quite tasty.

"What's on your mind, Sirius?" Daemon asked.

I took a breath "I'm worried about Remus."

Daemon nodded "You're not the only one. The entire staff has noticed and everyone has a theory. Slughorn thinks he just had a bad transformation over the summer and is going through puberty."

"That's not the reason," I told him, "he went through puberty when he was twelve, voice already changed and everything. Werewolves mature faster, you know."

"I know. Did Remus tell you what the problem is?"

"No, but James and I reckon someone must have hurt him, a man 'cos of the way he's not looking at any of you manlier teachers."

"That's what I think too, I've seen it before. You should try to get him to open up about it."

"I have!" I would have squeaked but thankfully I went through the voice change thing just before I turned thirteen—not that Blacks ever squeak of course "but he keeps saying he's fine when I know he's not and he doesn't like anyone to touch him. Growls every time. I think he'll hurt himself tomorrow if something isn't done."

Daemon chugged his bottle of cola before answering "So do I. The Headmaster shares my concerns, he also believes Remus was abused in some way. Understand, Sirius that normally I shouldn't be sharing this with you but since you brought this to me…" he trailed off "But listen, if he doesn't open up by tomorrow evening, perhaps he'd be more comfortable talking to a woman, seeing as how he's so skittish around men. Ryan's sister is also a werewolf, so maybe I can get her to talk to him. Maybe be with him when he transforms. Maybe all he needs is a mother figure. Dumbledore told me he doesn't have one."

I nodded "She died when he was eight, not sure how. He doesn't like to talk about his home life but I'd be a hypocrite if I complained too much about that."

"You know Sirius, you are the most well-spoken thirteen year old, I've met. You and Remus from the little I've heard him talk."

"He reads a lot of books that are over a century old. I personally don't see the allure."

Daemon smiled, "You're definitely well-bred."

"Wealthy speak for inbred."

Daemon threw his head back and laughed. When he calmed he said "Try talking to him again, but go easy about it, okay? Start out by telling him that you're losing sleep over worrying about him or something. Keep me abreast of the situation."

…

I found Remus sitting by himself in a corner of the library "Remus, can I talk to you?"

"I'm reading, Sirius."

"Your book is upside down, Remus."

Remus sighed and regarded me "What is it, Sirius?"

I sat next to him "I'm worried about you, we all are."

"There's no reason to worry, I'm…"

I grabbed his wrists "No, Remus you are not fine."

"Sirius, please let me go."

"Not till you tell me what's wrong. Someone hurt you, didn't they? Remus, you'll feel better if you talk about it."

Remus's eyes flashed, he wrenched out of my grasp and stood up "Leave me alone, Sirius. Can't you understand that I don't want to talk about it?" he stalked out of the library.

He didn't return to the dorm till late. I knew better than to bother him now. I'd have to try again in the morning.

…

Unfortunately Remus avoided me all day. I finally cornered him in an empty classroom about half an hour before he was due to meet Madam Pomfrey.

"Get out of my way, Sirius," there was a low growl at the back of Remus's throat.

"No, not till you tell me what's wrong. Remus, I'm afraid you're going to hurt yourself tonight if you keep it all bottled up."

"Sirius, how many times do I have to tell you? I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not Remus? If someone hurt you, they should be punished."

Remus sighed with a bit of growl mixed in "It's been taken care of. Now get out of my way" his eyes began to fill with the burning gold that meant the wolf was taking control.

I grabbed Remus's arms in an attempt to keep him still, which in retrospect may have been a bad idea "What's been taken care of, Remus?"

Remus wrenched free of my grip and pushed me to the floor, "Why do you care?"

After a moment to gather my wits, I got to my feet "I'm your friend, Remus and if you're hurting and need someone to talk to, I'm here. Everyone says it feels better to talk about what's bothering you."

"Is everyone here?" wow, even the wolf knew how to be cheeky. He advanced on me and I kept taking steps back till I hit the door.

I reached back for the handle, crap I'd locked it with my wand. But now Remus was too close for me to reach for my wand. "Remus, please calm down."

Remus smiled, were those canines elongated? That couldn't be right, there was still time wasn't there? Remus ran a hand down my arm "Do you want me to show you what happened to the human?" his breath was hot on my cheek. Oh dear Merlin. Worse than being beaten had happened to Remus.

I swallowed "I'm starting to get the idea and I think I'll pass. How about we just get you to Madam Pomfrey?"

"What for?"

I took a breath and pushed Remus back with all my might, grabbed my wand and opened the door. I ran out into the hall and Remus quickly followed me.

"I'm not finished with you!" he growled.

I backed up against the opposite wall "Remus, will you please snap out of it? You're scaring me."

"What the hell is going on out here?" Fortunately the classroom next door was Daemon's.

"I think Remus lost his temper," I was unable to keep a squeak of panic from my voice.

Dumbledore, holding a tea cup had followed Daemon out of the room "Oh dear."

Daemon pulled Remus back from me but did not keep a hold on him "Simmer down, Remus."

Remus turned his venomous glare on him "Touch me again and I'll bite your cock off like I did that bastard in the alley."

I, Daemon and even Dumbledore all cringed.

Daemon held his hands up "Okay I won't touch you."

Suddenly Remus collapsed to the ground.

Somehow Dumbledore's tea cup had been replaced with his wand "Daemon, would you be so kind as to carry Remus to the hospital wing?"

Daemon nodded "Certainly Albus," and he picked up the unconscious Remus.

"And Sirius," Dumbledore added, "You may wish to join us and have that arm looked at."

"What?" I looked down at my left arm, suddenly realising it hurt something awful. My mouth fell open in a gasp, Remus had scratched me.

…

Madam Pomfrey bandaged my arm, apparently there was no magical healing for a werewolf scratch, while Daemon and Dumbledore took Remus to the Shack. I was then instructed to wait in Poppy's office. I didn't care about myself though. "Will Remus be all right?" I asked Poppy "I'm worried he'll hurt himself tonight."

Poppy sighed "I'm not sure what the Headmaster did, but Remus will sleep through the whole thing tonight."

"That's good."

Finally Daemon returned and Poppy left us alone "First thing's first, Sirius, you won't be a werewolf."

"I don't care about that" I said "is Remus all right? I've never seen him lose control like that. Should I have left him alone? It was obvious he didn't want to talk about what happened."

"Yes, but he should talk about it. He can't keep something like that bottled up, if what he threatened me with is any indication."

"Does that mean what I think it means? Do you think somebody raped him?"

"Tried to anyway, if what he said is true. If that's the case, we need to handle this situation much more delicately. Remus is going to need a lot of patience and understanding and possibly a motherly influence. I'll talk to Ryan's sister tomorrow. Now, there's nothing else we can do about Remus tonight so let's talk about you. Okay?"

I sighed "Fine."

"As I was saying, because Remus wasn't fully transformed and becoming a werewolf requires a bite and not a scratch, you won't be a werewolf. However, you will feel quite ill for a few days and you will develop more canine-like senses and tendencies."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, your senses will become like those of a canine, acute smelling and hearing for example. You might find yourself growling when angered and whimpering when hurt and sad. You will crave more meat. You might become more touchy-feely with those you care about and you might just become closer with Remus. Oh and should you decide one day, this will make it easier to become an animagus."

That got my attention "Really? 'Cos that would be cool. I've been thinking about that you know," well I wasn't about to admit I was already looking into it "so Remus wouldn't be alone during the full moon."

Daemon smiled "Sirius, Remus is very lucky to have a friend like you. I think that would be very good of you. How are you feeling right now? You're a little pale, which is saying a lot because you're always pale."

"Okay I guess, my left arm feels like it's on fire."

"Yeah, that's normal. You'll start to feel sick soon. Madam Pomfrey will want to keep you here for a few days."

…

I told James and Peter I'd come down with a cold—I couldn't have them knowing the truth before Remus now could I? In addition to my arm hurting like a son of a bitch, I started to feel ill. It was my body adapting, Poppy said. I had a killer headache, low grade fever and I was kind of dizzy. But it didn't bother me, I was more worried about Remus and how he would be in the morning. Would he remember what happened?

Despite the sleeping draught Poppy gave me, I couldn't sleep. I had this intense compulsion to go see Remus. I knew he'd be in wolf form, but I also knew he'd be unconscious. I had to risk it because I had to see him. I had to be there when he woke because I had to be the one to tell him. So, I snuck out. To this day, I don't know how I wasn't caught by Filch or that damned cat of his.

Interestingly using "Immobilus," on the damn tree worked fine, it was a lot better than pressing that bloody knot. I mean, really? I felt exhausted but I had to keep going, some force was drawing me to him.

When I got to the shack I found a large wolf lying on a bed, sleeping quite soundly. He was even snoring. I'd never seen Remus in wolf form before, he was gorgeous. He was golden brown with just a smidge of white on his chest and paws. I wanted so much to touch him but knew that would probably be a silly idea, so instead I just sat on the floor by the door and watched him.

I don't know when I fell asleep but I must have because Remus was shaking me awake. "Sirius, what in the hell are you doing here? Are you out of what little mind you have?" He only insulted me when he was furious.

I opened my eyes, I was already sitting up because I'd been leaning against the wall "Hey, Remus," I yawned.

"Don't 'hey Remus' me. What are you doing here? Do you have any…?" his eyes fell on the bandage on my arm "Oh God, did I hurt you?" the anger in his voice had been replaced with fear. "What happened?"

I took a breath "What's the last thing you remember from yesterday?"

"I don't…were we in a classroom?"

I nodded "I got in your face when I should have left you alone. I'm sorry, Remus. It's just a scratch, you weren't fully transformed."

"What?" he was aghast and he scrambled away from me, "Oh God, I'm so sorry."

I got to my feet and went over to him "It's not your fault, Remus, it's mine. You didn't bite me, I'm not a werewolf, I'll just be more canine like and I am perfectly fine with that."

Remus's bottom lip quivered "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. Would you like to know what else happened?"

"What else happened?"

"Well, we were right next door to Daemon and Dumbledore—they were having tea and they heard us. Dumbledore knocked you out with a spell but not before you threatened to bite Daemon's cock off if he touched you."

Remus's face went bright red and he groaned "Oh God."

"Yeah, so now, he, Dumbledore and I all suspect what happened to you over summer." I grabbed his hand and looked into his eyes, "Remus, I'm your friend, you can tell me anything and I will never judge you. Did someone molest you or try to?"

Finally, he nodded once before breaking down in tears. I let him cry on my shoulder and just held him. "It'll be okay, Remus, it'll be okay." It was then I realised that I was willing to do anything for him. He could ask me to do anything and I'd do it without complaint. I wondered if that was a result of the scratch or if I'd always been that way.

When Remus's sobs subsided I asked "You wanna tell me what happened? You don't have to."

He sniffed and sat up "No, it's okay. I'll tell you."

…

* * *

**Uh-oh, poor Remus. The second half of this story will be told by him.**

**Please review if you like it.**

**Oh and I almost forgot: I don't own Collinsport or Quentin Collins-wish I did though.**

**TTFN**


	3. Scratched II

**All righty then, here's part II. This is from Remus' POV and isn't as long as Sirius' but Remus doesn't talk as much.**

* * *

"Scratched part II"

Sirius was right, I realised as he held me that morning. I couldn't keep it all inside anymore, it was making me sick and it had caused me to hurt him. He blamed himself of course, for getting in my face but if I had been honest from the start, I wouldn't have scratched him.

I took a deep breath and told him what had happened that summer.

…

I had been in Diagon Alley getting the school shopping done before my dad ran out of his paycheque. Dad was chatting with an old friend of his we'd run into in the book shop and I was getting bored. We had a schedule to keep after all.

"Dad," I said "I'll meet you at Madam Malkins." I needed a new set of robes that year.

He waved a hand which I took as permission to leave. Maybe two minutes after I left the book shop I realised someone was following me. I turned and couldn't see Dad anywhere, he must still be in the shop. Slightly unnerved I turned a corner, whoever was following me smelled strongly of whiskey.

I kept trying to lose him but he was still dogging me. Finally I found myself in a dead end and empty alley way. Crap. I turned around to face my pursuer. "Why are you following me?" I asked, voice cracking.

The man, like most wizards was not dressed in modern clothes. In fact he looked like he'd be quite happy spending time with Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist, especially with that sneer. "Aren't you cute?" he spoke with a Yorkshire accent.

Cute? Great. I smelled the arousal on him, if I didn't get out of this, it wasn't going to turn out well. "Stay away from me," I said with all the courage I could muster, which wasn't much. I should have just waited in the damn bookshop.

He stepped closer and I backed up against the wall. The alley was small so I knew if I tried to run past him, he'd grab me. I was fairly well trapped. Maybe Dad would find me in time.

"You're going to do as I say," the man said, undoing his belt.

"I'll scream," I said.

"Oh right, thanks for reminding me," he pulled out his wand and flicked it "no one will hear you. They'll think the alley's been filled with bees and won't come look. Always was good at illusion spells, me." Why did bad guys always describe their dastardly plans? He then finished with his belt and pulled out his penis.

I closed my eyes and he grabbed me "On yer knees boy," he said. One of his hands was on my shoulder and the other slipped down my trousers.

That's when I started to fight back, it was two weeks to the full moon and I accessed the wolf.

The next thing I knew I was standing over the guy who was writhing in pain on the ground and his penis was still in my mouth. I spit it out and backed away in horror and shock. What the hell did I just do?

"Remus!" Dad came running into the alley with his wand out in front of him, like he'd used a locator spell to find me "What the…?" he saw me with blood on my face and down my shirt, saw the condition the man was in and just stood there for a moment.

"What the fuck are you?" the man screamed at me.

Dad shook his head and then flicked his wand at the man knocking him out, "Okay, okay, I'll fix this. Remus, did he try to rape you?"

I nodded dumbly.

"Okay," he pulled me to him "I'm taking you home and then I'll come back and deal with him."

…

I blew my nose on a handkerchief Sirius had produced from somewhere.

"Bastard deserved it," he said. "What did your dad do with him?"

I shrugged "He hasn't told me. When he apparated me home he told me to clean up and just go to bed. I heard him get home an hour later. Next day he acted like nothing happened."

"Damn," Sirius breathed. "You guys should have talked about it."

"Would your dad have talked about it?"

"I don't know, he disappeared when I was nine."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."

He shrugged "No big deal. Remus, if the guy didn't do what he intended, why are you so sketchy around men?"

I rested my head against his shoulder without thinking about it "I don't know. I know it's stupid, I just can't seem to help it."

"You know none of the teachers in this school would do anything like that."

"I know, I…"

There was a knock on the bedroom door.

"It's Daemon," Sirius said.

I sat up and looked at him, he was right "How do you know?"

"That damn cologne he wears."

"_You_ can smell it through the door?"

"Apparently," he groaned and laid back. "God, it's making my headache worse."

"Come in," I called when Daemon knocked again.

He opened the door and carried a tray I assumed to be my breakfast "Good morning boys. Sirius, I had a feeling you'd be down here, so I brought you breakfast too."

"Not exactly hungry," Sirius moaned.

"You should eat something. You'll need the protein."

I cringed at that.

Daemon set the tray on the nightstand "How are you Remus?"

"I've had better mornings, sir. Will Sirius be all right?"

Daemon opened his mouth but Sirius interrupted "I already told you I'll be fine."

Daemon sighed "He'll just be a bit more canine-like and likely do whatever you tell him."

I actually laughed at that "Not with James around."

"Anyway," Sirius said, "Daemon, you wouldn't be hungry either if you heard what I just heard."

He looked at us both "I got the picture last night, thanks. The headmaster and I contacted your father, Remus and he confirmed our suspicions. He said he was going to come talk to you today. Are you going to be all right?"

I shrugged "I don't know, sir."

"Well if you need someone to talk to who isn't male, let me know. I've got someone in mind. Might help to have a feminine influence."

"Maybe," I said, unsure.

"Oh, I should say. Ryan's twin sister Regina is also a werewolf. Have you ever talked with a female werewolf?"

I shook my head "I've never even met one. Actually I haven't even met another werewolf since I was bitten."

"Ah, well then. You should meet them both."

"Hey," Sirius sat up on his elbows "Daemon, are you and Ryan a couple?"

"Sirius!" I admonished "That's not something you ask an adult." Though I could tell that Daemon and this Ryan were indeed a couple. You don't get a scent of a werewolf that much on you by just living with him.

To my surprise Daemon wasn't embarrassed. He smiled "Yes, yes we are. Something tells me that's not a problem with you."

Sirius smirked and I blinked.

"Sirius?" I asked "are you…?"

He shrugged "So far all evidence points in that direction, yeah."

For some reason I wasn't surprised. He was too pretty to be straight. For the moment I let that subject drop though it was good to know. "Sirius, you don't look well. You should get back to the hospital wing."

"He's right," Daemon said "come along, Sirius, up you get."

Sirius groaned but got to his feet anyway, "You can have my breakfast, Remus. I'll eat something later."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," he yawned "I think I just want to sleep right now."

"Probably for the best," Daemon agreed "Remus, your dad should be here around noon."

I nodded "Thank you, sir."

…

As punctual as any Lupin, my dad arrived precisely at noon.

"I am a horrible father," he stated as soon as he walked in the room.

I blinked at him "What? No, you're not. Why would you say that?"

He sighed heavily, "Because we should have talked about what happened. I shouldn't have just ignored it."

"Then let's talk about it now," I said, voice slightly shaky. "What did you do with him?"

"I just modified his memory and plopped him at St. Mungo's."

"He won't be a werewolf will he?"

Dad shook his head "It wasn't a full moon. If anything he'll just be a very angry individual and possibly impotent. They said they'd reattach it but he won't have full use of it, least I don't think he will."

"Why'd you let him keep it?" I, or the wolf, or both of us growled. It was hard to keep track sometimes, especially on a full moon day.

"Less questions." He sighed again, "The Headmaster told me what happened last night. How's your friend?"

I shuddered at being reminded I hurt Sirius, the thought made me sick, "He's okay, blames himself."

"Good, he's the one who wouldn't leave you alone."

"Dad."

He leaned against the wall across from me and stared at me. I couldn't help but notice the sadness in his eyes.

It was making me uncomfortable "What's wrong Dad?"

He took a breath "How are you doing, Remus? Headmaster told me you haven't been yourself."

I shrugged, "I feel better since talking with Sirius but I'm not sure."

"You're lucky to have such a good friend."

"I know."

He straightened up, "I've someone I need to find, Remus. I'll come see you again during Hogsmeade weekend, all right."

"Uh, all right. What's going on, Dad?"

"I'll let you know, I've got to get started. Look, if you need to talk, you've got your mates and Professor Dumbledore and that Professor Collins seems like a good bloke."

I nodded, "Okay."

"I'll see you later." and as he left I heard him mutter "Julian will kill me." Julian was the name of his twin brother who I thought was dead. Weird. Maybe it was some other Julian he was talking about.

I agreed to meet Daemon's partner Ryan and his sister and have them with me that night and the next. It surprisingly helped to have other werewolves around, I didn't feel nearly as exhausted.

The morning I was able to return to classes I first went to see Sirius who was still in the hospital wing.

"Did you tell James and Peter?" I asked him.

He shook his head "Wanted to make sure it was okay with you first. They think I have a cold."

Unable to stop myself I hugged him and licked his cheek "That was very thoughtful of you, Sirius. Thank you. We can tell them."

"Good, don't like lying to James. I'm not bothered as much when it comes to Peter."

I swatted him playfully "You're horrible sometimes, you know that?"

He shrugged "Family trait."

"How are you feeling?"

He sat up "A little better, Daemon says I should be well enough to move around tomorrow. I can smell the damn kitchens from here. Is that bacon?"

I breathed in "Yes it is. Maddening isn't it?"

"Makes me hungry. You look better than you usually do after the full moon."

"I feel better. It really helped having Ryan and Regina there, even if they are Americans."

Sirius laughed "I'm glad. I was really worried about you." His voice was softer at that.

"I was worried about you."

"Say, why did you lick me?"

"You don't mind do you? Apparently, it's a werewolf thing to do with friends."

Sirius grinned and licked my cheek "I don't mind at all. Bring the others by at lunch."

"I will."

…

Fortunately, Sirius was the only one in the hospital wing that day so we didn't have to worry about anyone overhearing us.

"I knew it wasn't just a cold," James declared after we told him and Peter what happened. "You can't lie to James Potter and expect him to just go with it. I knew you were making it up."

Sirius, Peter and I shared a look. Sure he knew Sirius was lying, sure he did. Yeah right. I love him like a brother I'm forced to tolerate (and he feels the same about me) but Merlin, can he be thick. It also drives me mad when he pretends to know everything. But this isn't about James.

"So, my dad's up to something," I said to change the subject.

"How do you mean?" Peter asked

I sighed and sat next to Sirius, "He told me he needed to find someone and as he was leaving I heard him mutter and I quote "Julian will kill me". Julian was the name of his twin brother and…"

"Ah," James interrupted with a look in his eyes that made me question both his mental health and his gender preference "Julian Lupin, one of the best chasers Gryffindor has seen till my dad, Michael Potter of course. And then there's me" he added. James's father was only seventeen when he was born and his mother died during childbirth so James was raised by his grandparents. He hadn't told us why, now that his dad was older, he still didn't live with him—other than the fact Michael Potter was Quidditch coach at Collinwood Academy in Maine.

"What do you mean 'was the name'?" Sirius asked.

I opened my mouth but James spoke instead "Julian Lupin was playing for the Caerphilly Catapults till he was killed…"

I held up a hand "His wife too, Dad still hasn't told me how. James, why didn't your dad take custody of you when he finished Hogwarts?"

James blinked and shrugged "Not sure. I guess it was just easier for Mother and Father," he called his grandparents Mother and Father even though he called his actual father Dad. It was very confusing "I see him a lot though, during holidays. Plus he wanted me to go to Hogwarts, not Collinwood. Oh, he told me he might finally have some time to see a match but not till the one against Hufflepuff though."

Sirius sighed "Do you think your uncle might still be alive, Remus?"

"I don't know. I guess it's possible. Dad said he'd come back during Hogsmeade weekend."

"So then," James said "Sirius is going to be more dog-like. Does this mean you two are going to act like puppies or something?"

"We'll see" I said, crossing my arms "have you been taking good notes the past couple days?" I normally counted on Sirius to take notes while I was indisposed but as he'd been laid up himself…He only took notes when I was indisposed by the way.

"Um," James looked at Peter "Pete, have you been taking good notes?"

I rested my head against Sirius's shoulder "I'll ask Lily. I'll take notes for you today Sirius, it was just study hall this morning."

"Yeah, Slughorn's class was cancelled," James said.

"Some sort of potion masters' convention," I said "he mentioned it last week."

Sirius's stomach growled "Why'd you three come here before you had lunch? You could have brought me something. I'm starved."

I stood up "I'll go get you something now. What would you like?"

He looked at me as if I'd said the stupidest thing in the world "Uh, food" he said "preferably with meat. Beef if you can find it."

I smiled "I think that can be arranged."

…

The next morning Sirius woke me up by jumping on me and licking my face exactly like a puppy would do. Good lord, what have I done? He was already puppy-like enough as it was.

"Good morning, Remus!"

I couldn't help but chuckle though "Feeling better I take it?"

"Loads," he rolled and lay next to me. "It's unbelievable, Remus. I can smell way better than before. In something that was only one scent a few days ago, now I can smell a bunch of other scents in it."

I nodded "That's how it is, yeah."

"Can you help me differentiate and stuff? Like track stuff, can you teach me to track stuff?"

"Of course. How's your hearing?"

"God, these walls are made of stone, how is it I can hear some people snoring?"

"Cracks under the doors."

"How can you stand it?"

"Silencing charm on my bed curtains."

"Ah, good idea."

I took a breath, "Sirius, can I tell you something?"

"You can tell me anything?"

"Promise you won't tell, at least not yet."

He propped himself up on an elbow and looked at me, "I won't breathe a word unless you tell me to."

"After I became a werewolf and I got used to different scents, I noticed something odd about my mother."

"What?"

"I'm not sure she was my mother."

Sirius's mouth hung open for a moment and then he said "What about your dad?"

I shrugged "Not sure, he smells like he should be my father but then identical twins smell the same once you get past all the outer scents. I can't stop thinking about what he said the other day."

"Maybe Julian is really your father then."

"But why would I live with John?"

"Hmm, I don't know. If Julian isn't really dead, maybe he couldn't take care of you. Maybe he had to go somewhere, like witness protection or something—that's why everyone thinks he's dead."

"But why would he say Julian would kill him?"

"Because he hasn't told Julian that you're a werewolf? I don't know. We can check old Daily Prophets for article about his "murder" and see if there are any clues."

I sighed "Yeah. But the point is," and I tried to supress the growl at the back of my throat "whatever the reason, Dad, if that is in fact his real name, hasn't been honest with me and I don't like it."

…

* * *

**Okay, figured that was a good place to end it. So, something weird is going on with Remus's family and Sirius's father disappeared when he was nine…curious. Don't worry, we will find out what the deal is. As soon as I write it out. I have it all in here *points to head*, I just need to get it on here *points to computer*.**

**Please review if you like it.**

**Oh and BTW, if you like Janto then read "Anything Goes" by Bronwyn Hollingsworth, it's a collection of mainly Janto centric short stories. The first one is really sweet and romantic and the one she just posted the other day is a really intriguing fantasy idea. At least in my opinion.**

**TTFN**


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